Hollow Knight
The Hollow Knight is the titular final boss the 2017 indie game of the same name. It is the Vessel that sealed away the Infection, but at the cost of eventually becoming infected itself. Biography Backstory The Hollow Knight was one of the many mysterious life-forms called Vessels, created using Void at the bottom of the Abyss below Hallownest. When a higher being known as The Radiance plagued the dreams of the inhabitants of Hallownest, the ruler of the kingdom, the Pale King, came up with a plan to seal her away using the Void. He created the Vessels with the intention of sealing the essence of the Radiance inside them. These Vessels were required to have no mind or will of their own, as the Radiance had the ability to break minds and enslave wills. This meant that she could eventually escape from an impure Vessel. Almost all of the Vessels ended up being unsuitable for sealing the Radiance forever, which were promptly disposed by the King, except for one Vessel who was judged as being pure enough. This Vessel became known as "The Hollow Knight", to describe its lack of mind and will. After sealing the Radiance within itself, the Hollow Knight was chained up inside the Temple of the Black Egg. The King asked three prominent bugs, the Dreamers, to form a seal on the outside of the Temple. This prevented anyone from entering the Temple, and it prevented the Hollow Knight from escaping its confinement. The Dreamers went into a permanent rest, and after some time, the King and the White Palace mysteriously vanished, leaving Hallownest struggling to survive on its own. However, as time went on, it became apparent that the Hollow Knight was not a pure Vessel after all. The Radiance managed to break out of the Hollow Knight and the Black Egg, causing the Infection to return. The Knight, another Vessel, was compelled to return to Hallownest after a call from either the Hollow Knight or the Radiance. They began a quest to either defeat the Hollow Knight and replace it as the Vessel of the Radiance, or to enter the dream of the Hollow Knight and defeat the Radiance once and for all. Endings After the Knight absorbs all three of the Dreamers, the Temple of the Black Egg will be opened for the player to fight the Hollow Knight. If they have collected enough Essence, the player can use the Awoken Dream Nail to gain access to the White Palace. This will start the player on a quest to obtain the Void Heart, which will unlock two additional endings. The Hollow Knight The regular ending, if the Knight has not collected the Void Heart. The Knight engages the Hollow Knight in combat and ultimately succeeds, absorbing the Infection leaking from the Hollow Knight and becomes the new Vessel to seal the Infection. Sealed Siblings If the Knight has obtained the Void Heart, Hornet will aid the player by immobilizing the Hollow Knight long enough for the Knight to be able to Dream Nail the Hollow Knight and enter its mind. However, should the Knight not use the Nail in time or attack the Hollow Knight with any other attack, the Hollow Knight will break out of its stun and knock Hornet aside, continuing the battle until its death. Much like the regular ending, the Knight becomes the new Vessel, while Hornet becomes a Dreamer, forming a seal on the entrance to the Temple of the Black Egg. With Hornet trapped inside her own seal, the there is no longer a way to stop the Infection if it ever comes back. Dream No More Should the Knight use the Dream Nail on the Hollow Knight while Hornet restrains it, the Knight will be transported to the Hollow Knight's dream, where the player can encounter and challenge the Radiance. As the fight progresses, the Shades of the Knight's siblings enter the Dream Realm and aid the Knight in taking down the Radiance, including the Shade of the Hollow Knight itself. The Hollow Knight opens the weak spot in the Radiance's head, causing the Knight to break away from their physical form to deal the finishing blows to the Radiance. This allows them and the rest of the Shades to pull her into the Void and end the Infection for good. Godmaster The Hollow Knight appears in the Godmaster content pack as the Pure Vessel, the final opponent in the Pantheon of the Knight and the penultimate enemy in the Pantheon of Hallownest. The Pure Vessel is the Hollow Knight at its prime, fully raised and trained in combating against the Infection, before it contained the source of the Infection and was sealed away within the Black Egg. In the Pantheon of the Knight and rematches in the Hall of Gods, the Pure Vessel collapses into a puddle of Void when defeated, but in the Pantheon of Hallownest, the Knight is instead warped away by the Radiance herself to engage the Knight with her true form, Absolute Radiance. After defeating the Pure Vessel in the Pantheon of the Knight, a cutscene plays featuring the Knight, the Hollow Knight back in its original Vessel form, and several other Vessels in the background. The two Vessels stare at each other while the others silently watch before a light shines down from above, along with the Radiance's roar. The Vessels watch the light until a wave of Void emerges from the ground and engulfs the room and the Vessels. In the new ending after defeating Absolute Radiance, the Void corrupts Godhome, and leaks out of the Godseeker to further corrupt Hallownest, unless the Delicate Flower has been given, which neutralizes the Void into one of its petals. Meanwhile, the Hollow Knight is now free from its duty of sealing away the Radiance, as she no longer exists. Still restrained by chains, it breaks free from the Black Egg and crawls towards Hornet, who readies her guard. It is left ambiguous whether or not it is now friend or foe. Appearance The Hollow Knight is a tall figure with a black body and a white horned insectoid head with a dark green cloak. Like the rest of the Infected, its eyes shine a bright orange, and it has a crack in the center of its head where the Infection escaped from its body. As the Pure Vessel, the only significant difference is that its cloak is now colored gray, and its eyes no longer have the orange look of infection. Personality Not much is known about the Hollow Knight's personality, as the Vessels were made to carry no will of their own. It is said by the Hunter that the Pale King imposed sacrifices upon others, including the Hollow Knight. Whether or not it willingly sealed the Radiance within itself is unclear. After the Hollow Knight became controlled by the Radiance, it took a more feral and aggressive state. Unlike most under her control, it also shows enough self-awareness to fight back, repeatedly attacking itself in its boss fight and refusing to fight at its full strength. Gallery Images Young Hollow Knight.png|The Hollow Knight back when it was a regular Vessel. Long Live the King..png|The Hollow Knight during the Abyss cutscene and Path of Pain cutscene. Hollow Knight.png Chained up Vessel.png|The Hollow Knight in chains. Memorial statue.png|Memorial Fountain and statue to the Hollow Knight in the City of Tears, depicting it before it was sealed within the Temple of the Black Egg. Videos Hollow Knight Boss Discussion - The Hollow Knight|Hollow Knight Boss Discussion. Hollow Knight - Sealed Vessel (Soundtrack OST)|Sealed Vessel, theme of the Hollow Knight. Trivia *During the final battle, the Hollow Knight stabs itself with its nail halfway through the fight. Why it does so is never given, although there might be a possibility that the Hollow Knight regains a little control of its body, so it might be trying to rid the Infection by killing itself. *In the White Palace during the Path of Pain section and in the Birthplace of the Abyss, the Knight spots the Pale King with a Vessel that looks similar to the Hollow Knight, except it is much younger. These scenes suggest that the Hollow Knight was already an impure Vessel from a young age, perhaps even from the moment it was born. *Neither the Hollow Knight or the Pure Vessel can be Dream Nailed; only by Hornet opening the crack in the Hollow Knight's head can it be Dream Nailed. *The Hollow Knight has several cut Dream Nail dialogue, one of which is where it calls for its "Father", possibly for the Pale King. 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